The Incredible Flutterhulk
by Beige Lantern
Summary: What if, on the Night of the Grand Galloping Gala, things had turned out a bit differently? Fluttershy was having such a hard time that night that she let all of her rage loose. And of course, rage makes beasts of us all. Huge... Green... Hulking beasts
1. Chapter 1: The Worst Night Ever

_The Incredible Flutterhulk_

A "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" fic by Beige Lantern

CHAPTER 1:

It was supposed to be her best night ever.

The yellow pegasus cried softly, remembering the day that everything fell apart. How that morning had seemed so normal and so commonplace, but had led to the loss of everything she had ever known and loved. Her home, her town, her friends, she had lost them all. Her eyes filled with tears as she slowly drifted off to sleep on that dingy cot of hers in the middle of her Buenos Maires apartment. As her mind slowly faded into slumber, her mind filled with pictures, dreaming of that fateful day…

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It seemed like just another day on the outskirts of Ponyville. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and small animals scampered about everywhere through the fields. A gentle breeze carried the peaceful sounds of the frolicking animals far and wide across the vast plains of Equestria, coming to rest on a small cottage at the edge of a forest. Of course, while to any other pony it may have just seemed like any other day, to Fluttershy, Ponyville's resident veterinarian, today was going to be a huge event… because today was the day of the Grand Galloping Gala in Canterlot.

Of course, before she could get ready for the Gala, she had to get her little friend Angel Bunny to behave.

"Come on now, Angel Bunny, eat your radishes…" Fluttershy pleaded softly, pushing the purple root vegetable towards the small mammal with her freshly manicured yellow hooves, a smile beaming in her wide blue eyes. The small, white rabbit crossed his arms and held his nose up in the air in disdain. "Oh I know they aren't the tastiest things in the world, but they're really good for you! They'll make all your tummy all healthy and squeaky clean!" She said with a grin, showing off her anatomical prowess. Angel, unfortunately, was not very impressed, his beady, downturned eyes staring daggers at his caretaker. He pointed at a bowl of carrots across the room, but Fluttershy shook her head. "You can't just keep eating carrots! You need to have other food too or you'll get sick." She pointed out but the bunny continued to give her a hard time, shaking his head vigorously and sticking his tongue out in disgust.

Fluttershy started to get a little distressed. "Oh, won't you please eat your lunch?" she begged as Angel continued to be defiant. "But it isn't _that _bad!" she persisted, taking a bite of one of the radishes, her face clearly showing a bit of disgust and struggle as she choked it down. "S-See?" she gulped. "Mmmm… that's good *cough! hack!* …Good eating!" she said with a wavering voice.

Angel gave her a deadpan stare. Fluttershy stared back with a nervous smile, hoping he'd believe her not-so-convincing charade. Finally, Angel picked up one of the radishes in his little bunny paws, an exasperated look on his face saying 'only for you.'

Fluttershy gave a little sigh. "Phew!" she whispered, turning her back. "Works every time." She said confidently… before a sudden crash made her squeak. Quickly whipping around she looked to see Angel had thrown the plate of radishes out the window, now sporting a gaping hole, a remaining radish with a single, bunny sized bite out of it sitting on the floor.

He obviously hadn't liked them.

Fluttershy quickly shifted to see Angel hopping out the front door. "Oh dear! Angel, come back, won't you please?" She said, giving chase. Fluttershy opened the door to see Angel hopping off the path and along the edge of the Everfree forest. Fluttershy gave a little gasp. That stubborn little bunny! What if a Manticore or a Hydra or Cockatrice jumped out of the undergrowth and gobbled him up? She swiftly flew after the little rabbit trying to catch up with him. The little bunny was fast and kept up a good clip, but while Fluttershy wasn't as fast as her friend Rainbow Dash, she could still keep up decent speed when in the air. Gracefully soaring low to the ground she swooped down in front of the small animal and landed frimly in a patch of bright green clover. Standing still, she looked her bunny friend in the eye as he stopped dead in his tracks.

A stern look graced Fluttershy's usually gentle face. Giving Angel a borderline version of her patented "stare" she planted her hooves firmly on the ground. "Now Angel, I know you want to run but you can't just go running around ignoring your health and breaking ponies' things like that!" Angel gulped and nodded. Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. "Now you get back into the house and finish your radishes, young man!" Angel sqeaked in acceptance before dashing off back towards the cottage.

Fluttershy's quickly changed back to her cheery demeanor, a her voice softening and a gentle smile returning to her face. "That's a good little bunny." She chirped, wiping her forehead with a hoof. "Phew! He can really be a hooffull sometimes, though." She said, trotting back to her house.

What she didn't notice as she trotted back to the house, however, was how the clover she was standing in began to glow bright green, sparkling with unknown natural magicks…

Nor could she ever predict how just one little plant could ruin her life so perfectly.

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The rest of the world was already well aware of the remaining part of the story. Her once close friends had quickly been mobbed by reporters of all sorts, attempting to get exclusives and stories about the Pegasus and the events that had transpired earlier that day.

After a quick fix up at the local spa and hairdressers salon, the six pony friends had all climbed into a magical carriage shaped like an apple, dressed in the finest six dresses her best friend and budding fashion designer, Rarity, had ever assembled. Fluttershy was dressed in a luxurious green and blue gown, patterned to look like a breezy spring meadow, her hair done up beautifully. The yellow pony had always been told that she was cute, and she had, in the past spent a relatively good deal of time on her appearance, but this night she truly felt gorgeous. Empowered even. As she and her friends stepped out of the carriage she even began to sing! Her friends singing what could only be described as a spontaneous musical number as they made their way up the shining paths to the Gala. She was truly ready to have the best night of her life!

And then it all fell apart.

The six friends went their separate ways at the party. All had their reasons to be there of course. Pinkie wanted to party with all the classy ponies, while Rarity went to go and find "her Prince," hoping that day to find true love. The thought made Fluttershy blush at the time. Applejack went off to sell her "apples and apple accessories," Rainbow Dash appropriately dashed off to try and meet the Wonderbolts, hoping to join the ranks of her favorite blue-clad flying team. And Twilight, of course, wished to spend the evening with her beloved mentor and Equestria's ruler, Princess Celestia. Fluttershy in the meantime, meandered off into the gardens hoping to spend the evening frolicking with the many diverse birds and animals that were said to romp around the castle gardens.

Fluttering slowly and gracefully over to the courtyards, Fluttershy was filled to the brim with cheer and glee, ready to meet new friends as a small bird flew past her chirping a happy song. Fluttershy's eyes widened in anticipation. "Oh my! A Meadowlark!" she exclaimed, following the small bird into a small square when she heard even more birdsong. "I think it's calling to me! Ooh it's exactly what I wished for!" She cleared her throat daintily before singing a few notes from her favorite song.

"A-ah-ah-ahaaah" she sang, with a perfect voice, hitting every note with precision and grace, grinning when she heard the bird respond. Squealing to herself she quickly cantered around the corner, her bright green dress flowing behind her, only to be stopped in shock when she finally realized that it was not a bird responding to her singing, but an old gardener. "Was that _you_?" she asked, more than a little surprised.

"Yup!" came a crackly reply from the old pony. "I looove whistlin' while I work!" The gardener replied, raking away some leaves with his old wrinkled hooves.

Fluttershy gaped for a second before shying away in embarrassment. "Oh, yes, well… uh…heh, excuse me." She said, shirking off behind a hedge.

'_What's wrong?'_ Fluttershy thought. _Why did the meadowlark fly away from me? Do I look funny? Is my hair messed up? Did I forget to use deodorant?'_ numerous possibilities ran through her head, but a quick look at her reflection in a pool and a few quick sniffs put all questions about her person to rest. So what was the matter? Why did the meadowlark flee like it was afraid of her?

Fluttershy's moods were lifted again when she heard numerous animal noises coming from around the next hedge. Walking into a new square, she saw the garden filled with animals she had only previously seen in books from Twilight's library! "Ooh! I see a Toco Toucan!" she said, her voice fluttery with excitement. "…And a spider monkey! And- Ooh! Is that a wallaroo?" she continued, beginning to dash into the middle of the square to play with her new friends. But alas, Fluttershy was again taken aback in shock as every single critter playing in the square stared at her in shock as she approached before running off to hide faster than anypony could blink! Fluttershy gaped in near horror. Why were the animals running away from her all of a sudden? No little critter had ever feared her before! That was her special talent after all, being able to talk to and take care of animals! It was everything she ever dreamed of. And now, these animals were fleeing from her in fear, as if they could sense something within her that she wasn't aware of… but that wouldn't make sense… would it?

"Oh Fluttershy…" the yellow pegasus whined to herself. "You're such a loudmouth…" chalking up the experience to her being overly excited.

And as the night went on, the animals continued to flee from the yellow pony, always looking so fearful as she approached. "This isn't what I wished for…" she mumbled, almost ready to give her night up and go back home to spend time with Angel. She almost got ready to leave when she looked back on the day and how excited she was for it. How much she had anticipated being here and spending time with the exotic creatures of the Castle garden. How much effort she had put into coming out into public like this among all these strange ponies just to meet the critters! Suddenly, she found her resolve refilled. Stamping a hoof she put on her game face. "No! I've waited all my life for this moment and I'm not going to let it slip by! If it's the last thing I do, I'm going to make this the best night ever!"

Feeling empowered once more, she began to set up a little trap. She had never had to go this far before to meet animals, but she would do what she had to for tonight! "I just have to be more bold, like Twilight says!" she whispered to nopony in particular. The trap was simple and nothing violent. Just a box held up by a stick attached to a string, a carrot being used as bait. Putting on a convincing tone, she stood tall and called out. "I'm so sorry to have scared you, my friends, but I'm leaving now so you can all come out!" Giggling at her scheme, she zipped behind a corner and waited to hear the juicy carrot being munched on. Quickly she yanked the string, hearing the box fall with a soft 'fwump.'

"Gotcha!" she called. Trotting out from her hiding place she quickly tried to explain herself. "It's okay! I won't try and hurt you I just want to be your-" she stopped, eyes wide at what she saw. The old gardener had returned and was munching on her carrot! "…friend?" she finished, baffled and bamboozled.

"Mmmm! Sounds good to me!" The old pony croaked out.

Fluttershy stopped, disheartened, but then her eyes started to slowly slant downward. She was beginning to get frustrated. Why was this happening to her? She had tried being kind, singing, trying to play, and all the things that usually worked. She had even gone to more extreme measures than she had ever gone before, but still the animals feared and ran away from her! The pony felt a twinge of anger begin to well up inside her. Not much, but enough to start getting agitated. The pony let out a small growl, stomping off to try something new.

And that's how the night went for the next few hours. Slowly, Fluttershy began to get angrier and angrier, her methods becoming less and less gentle and more and more foolhardy. She began to fling herself at the critters and birds, faceplanting herself into trees and bushes, no longer even noticing how scared they were, cowering in the trees. "COME OUT!" she would shout to no avail as she threw her hooves up in frustration. And all this time, she felt something strange. A pressure, or perhaps a tingle welling up in the bottoms of her hooves. Some sort of strange feeling similar to when your leg falls asleep, but a little less tingly and more prickly, like her hoof was just barely brushing up against a porcupine's quills. Fluttershy was too distressed to even notice though, as the feeling started to migrate up her hooves and into her abdomen.

Slowly, Fluttershy's senses started to leave her. She was feeling lightheaded, like she had gone a whole day without water or food, but her mind was focused on one goal now: to catch one of those critters. "I'll catch you yet, my pretties." She whispered menacingly. "Oh yes… as soon as one of you little birds… or monkeys… or bears touches this net you'll be mine! MINE! HAHAHA! AHAHAHAAA!" Fluttershy let off a frustrated cackle before suddenly losing her balance and falling into the net herself! She felt the wires of the net twist and tighten around her as she was lifted up into the air. Looking around, she saw the critters still in their hiding places, tentatively giggling at her but still careful not to go anywhere near the yellow pegasus. Fluttershy growled as she swung in the net. Unbeknownst to her, her eyes were starting to change from their usual deep blue to a pulsating, even glowing green.

And that's when it finally happened.

Fluttershy's muscles began to tighten, feeling like they were growing even. Twisting around the yellow pony broke the net that she had been trapped it, ripping it open with hoof and tooth, her once beautiful dress slowly ripping across her frame, her once styled mane falling around her shoulders becoming ragged and wild. Fluttershy let out a menacing scream as the net fell to pieces around the shrieking pegasus. The animals were all horrified at the sight. The previously threatening pegasus was starting to change! Her hooves and flank had started to change from a creamy yellow to a vibrant shade of bright green. The animals began to flee in terror from the monster pony, running towards the only shelter they knew of: the ballroom where Princess Celestia was hosting the grand galloping Gala.

Fluttershy bounded after the critters reaching the ballroom to a chorus of gasps and shrieks. **"YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE MEEEEE!"** she screamed as the transformation finally took. All eyes were glued on the pegasus as her fur coat quickly changed color turning a solid grass green color, her eyes a glowing lime. Ponies gaped as her mane began to lengthen and change to a dark green, so dark it almost looked black, and swung low around her knees like the mane of a wild monster. Her frame began to crack and bend as her limbs and core started bulging with muscle and her bones shifted and strengthened to support a larger, heavier structure. Enough emphasis could not be placed on Fluttershy's new muscles. They were enormous, looking strong enough to carry whole buildings. Even princess Celestia would report never having seen muscles that big on a pony. Fluttershy let out a scream which quickly changed into a menacing roar as her voice deepened and turned harsh and fierce; bestial even. Fluttershy's joints popped and her bones snapped as her height gradually grew from her normal measly three feet to a menacing six and a half feet tall, her once elegant dress finally giving way to her monstrous height and girth. At this point, the towering green pegasus stood taller than Princess Celestia! One oddity of the transformation was how her wings did not grow with her, disabling her ability to fly, but her newfound strength and speed would surely make up for that. Her new powerful legs looked capable of jumping over a mile! And finally, all ponies gasped as the cutie mark on Fluttershy's flank simply vanished into her coat, leaving the beast in her place a blank-flanked monster of a pony. A beast without any purpose it seemed.

"Fluttershy?" A voice called out meekly, fearing for the once small yellow pony as much for herself. The monstrous green pony turned to see her best friend, Rarity, standing there a horrified look on her face, not paying attention at all to the newly shredded dress she worked so hard to make. All her concern, her care was locked on the green pony before her.

And on some subconscious level, Rarity's concern may have made some impact. Fluttershy couldn't be able to say because from then on after the transformation all she could remember of the event was… flashes. Images, comparable to snapshots or photographs in her head of what was going on, like stillframing a film.

A few stood out in her mind: A horrifying thunder as she approached the animals backed against the walls. A blast from a unicorns horn hitting her. Suddenly the whole ballroom is in panic, ponies running away in fear and panic. Princess Celestia herself standing up to stop her. Princess Celestia herself lying unconscious on the ground, her faithful student Twilight desperately trying to wake her up. The Wonderbolts taking a stand, Rainbow Dash trying to get them to back off. All of them, Rainbow Dash included, thrown violently into the walls. Applejack and Pinkie Pie tossed into the piano, the band lying on the floor among other knocked out ponies. And then Rarity, standing in front of her pleadingly.

Rarity, lying on the ground, a gash on her face.

Finally, Prince Blueblood, at last growing some balls and staring into her face with contempt and vengeance. Prince Blueblood tossed aside as the hulking beast leaped out of the ballroom and sailing miles with one leap.

…And that was all that Fluttershy remembered of what was supposed to be her best night ever.

She woke up later in a forest, over a hundred miles from Canterlot, and back to normal. Her yellow fur having returned, her cutie mark on her flank as always, and back to her slim, three foot height. Stumbling to her hooves, she started crying, tripping over her own hooves as she tried to make her way out of the wood. Desperately the poor pony racked at her brain, trying to remember what really happened the past night. Everything was fuzzy or fragmented, and it would take weeks to mentally retrieve as much as she finally would. Stumbling out of the forest, she found herself limping into a dirt road. Her coat disheveled, her mane limp and ragged, and covered in cuts and bruises, she slowly ambled down the dirt road tears welling in her eyes. Hours later when she would find herself in Hooflyn, she would read what happened in a newspaper.

Her eyes widened with horror as she scanned the black and white newsprint, recognizing the pony in the photo. She was more than familiar with the manestyle, the slant of the face, the shredded clothing on the floor. She didn't know how or why… but the green hulking monster was definitely her. Fluttershy. A Monster.

The paper would tell her more about what had happened that fateful night. The story read that a small pegasus had burst into the ballroom at the annual Grand Galloping Gala, and transformed into a 'hideous green beast.' Fluttershy felt a dagger pierce her heart at the words. As she read on she discovered all the horrors she had enacted upon her friends and fellow ponies. She had severely injured the Wonderbolts, one of them, a pony named Soarin', may even have to retire because of her, if his wing didn't heal properly. She had tackled Princess Celestia herself when she had attempted to detain her, besting Equestria's most powerful sorceress and benevolent ruler, and given her a concussion. Her friends, Twilight, Pinkie, and Applejack had all gotten away with only some minor cuts and bruises, but Rainbow Dash had suffered two broken ribs and Rarity, her best friend, had landed herself with a broken shoulder.

A tear dropped onto the newspaper as she read all that she had done. Destroyed the ballroom, injured her friends… Thank Celestia nopony was killed, but there was just so much destruction! How could anypony ever trust her again?

And as she read further, the more terrible the news became. Prince Blublood himself, normally a prissy narcissist, turned out to have a combative side to him somewhere in that aristocratic shell, and had personally stepped forward to lead a specialized army to "Take down this horrific creature and bring the pony responsible to justice!" And the worst news was yet to come. At the very bottom of the article was a picture of Fluttershy. Not as the great, hulking green monster but of her. Just plain old Fluttershy, yellow coat, pink mane and all. The Pegasus pony gasped in horror as she read the next few words. "Reports are inconsistent but many ponies claim that it was Fluttershy, the famous former superstar fashion model, that changed into the monster and destroyed the gala." It wasn't until now, at this realization that her identity was compromised, that she even noticed the title of the front page article: _"Flutterhulk Smashes Grand Galloping Gala."_

It was then that Fluttershy heard the whispers.

Finally taking a moment to take stock of her surroundings she noticed she was in the middle of the street, completely exposed to everypony's view. And people who had read the morning paper had obviously taken notice. Citizens were backing away from her fearfully, whispering to one another and pointing hooves. Parents were taking their foals out of the streets and ushering them indoors, casting her terrified glances. Some were even rushing towards nearby phone booths, trying to call the police ponies, obviously.

Fluttershy was aghast. Her mouth dropped open in shock and apprehension, worried she might be attacked by somepony, worried she might transform into the beast again and hurt them all.

"Ohhh… I'm so sorry." She said, backing away from most of the ponies in the street. "I- I never wanted to hurt anypony, I just got a little upset and- well I…"

"Dat's da pony who hurt da Princess, yea?" a voice shouted somewhere to her left.

Fluttershy quickly turned to face the voice and continued backing away, a terrified look on her face, almost to tears that ponies had begun to lable her such a monstrosity. "Ohhh… No no! I didn't mean to hurt her! I… I couldn't control what I was doing and-"

"You think you can jus' knock out our princess an' think the rest'a Equestria will let you walk away, do ya's?" Another, burly sounding pony yelled behind her.

Fluttershy was at a loss, terrified and alone with everypony around her starting to rise against her. Her pulse was rising and adrenaline was firing through her system faster than a bolt from a crossbow. Her heart was pounding in her chest like a bass drum in a fast tempo song. Backing into a corner, she started to stutter more fearfully than normal. "Oh- I… I don't want… I didn't want to… I never… I…"

The angry mob was forming together very quickly, ready to do who knows what to the poor pony, and at this point she could hear sirens approaching. The police had arrived. Fluttershy's eyes were clenched tightly; fear, sadness, depression, and shame all running through her. "Oh please… won't everypony just-" And something snapped. A new emotion. One she so rarely felt. Anger.

"Leave. Me. **ALONE!**" She concluded powerfully. Furiously. She reared up on her hind legs and landed back down with a thunderous 'CRACK,' breaking several paving stones as her eyes again glowed green.

It was sudden this time, as if somepony had simply switched on the kitchen light. The anger flowed through her, and her body changed with it. Her shoulders broadened, her limbs grew with tough, sinewy muscle, her mane lengthened and her cutie mark vanished, her whole body turning various shades of green. She doubled in height, towering over everypony that had gathered around her and harassed her. The pony that stood there was no longer Fluttershy. Instead, the ponies found themselves staring into the furious green eyes of the Incredible Flutterhulk.

The angry mob of ponies suddenly changed into a fearful, cowering lot. Some ran for the hills, some hiding in alleys or behind dumpsters, and some even had the stones to try and buck at the giant green mare. Their hooves simply glanced off of her body as the Flutterhulk gave out a mighty roar, swinging out with her powerful forehooves and knocking all the ponies off their feet, hurtling them into buildings, carts, or hundreds of feet down the street. The police ponies tried to fire their hoofheld crossbows at her, but those too had little impact, simply bouncing off of her thick, green skin and falling fruitlessly to the ground. The Flutterhulk turned to the police ponies, growling in rage. Her wings too small to take flight now, she leaped into the air and came crashing down heavily on one of the many police carts, demolishing it entirely. Roaring in fury, the Flutterhulk grabbed two enormous pieces of metal shrapnel that had once been the police cart and started swinging wildly out with her hooves, sending ponies and carts sailing out of sight and reducing anything in her vengeful path to nothing more than scraps of rubble. At the sight of one of her previous antagonists fleeing from the giant mare, she hurled the pieces of metal at his direction, howling in triumph. Buildings, carts, ponies, shops, stands… none were safe from the Flutterhulk's mighty wrath as she leapt through the city, viciously searching for all of the ponies who had done her wrong.

Then a calm came, a silence from the Flutterhulk among the screams and panic of the townsponies and flaming wreckage of a good chunk of the city. Surveying the wreckage she had caused she felt her vengeance was through. She was getting ready to move on, to leave the ponies of this town to their own misery, when a single bolt hit her in the back of the head, bouncing harmlessly away. The Flutterhulk turned with a growl, a sharp, vicious stare emanating from her glowing, green, furious eyes. There, still standing defiantly was a single police pony, holding out his hoofbow at her, sweating profusely with a trembling lip. The Flutterhulk advanced upon him, the police pony backing away, repeating the same word over and over. "No. No. No. No. No no no no…" he muttered, tripping over a pile of shrapnel.

The Flutterhulk reared up on her hind legs, a furious glare on her green, monstrous face. Opening her mouth, the beast roared out a fearsome battlecry!

"**FLUTTERHULK SMASH!"**

"NOOOOOOOOOOO-"

"-OOOOOOOOOO!" Fluttershy wailed, shooting up in bed.

Fluttershy panted, wheezing, quickly checking her heart rate monitor. 173. A close call. Slowly Fluttershy came back to reality, breathing deeply and trying to relax as best she could to get her heart rate back down. Tears falling on her dingy bedsheets as she slowly got up for work that day.

The pony sniffed as she slowly plodded along the floor. A nightmare. She had one every night, always a flashback to one of her previous outbursts. That first one… the Gala… the night she lost everything… that was the most common.

The pegasus had been forced out of her country, out of Equestria to get away from the police, the military, Prince Blueblood and his newly formed elite army of "Flutterhulkbusters," and the shame of itt all. She had lost everything. Her friends her home, and all her animals. The _thing_ inside her would never allow her to go back. Indeed, she truly had lost everything…

A knock at the door.

…Except hope.

"Un momento, por favor!" Fluttershy called out in the native Buenos Maires tongue, quickly throwing a cloth over her cutie mark and a hat on her head to hide her identity. She trotted up to the door and answered it. "¿Puedo ayudarle?" she asked, 'Can I help you.' In Sponish. She found that being on the run all the time, she tended to pick up a lot of different languages.

"Paquete, señora." The deliverycolt at the door said, holding out a small brown package to Fluttershy, a smile on his face as he went about his daily rounds. Fluttershy looked at the package, the return address reading "Ms. Blue."

Fluttershy smiled bashfully at the deliverycolt, taking the package in her hooves. "Gracias, señor." She said, hoofing him a few Buenos Maires bits.

Fluttershy quickly trotted to a small table in the middle of her dirty, overheated apartment and opened the package, pulling at the twine with her teeth and unwrapping the brown paper carefully. There, sitting on her desk was a potted plant, one that, upon reflection looked slightly familiar. It was a small green clover that gave off a faint glow. A familiar glow. One that emanated menacingly from her eyes every time she changed.

This small flower. It was the offending agent.

Fluttershy's eyes turned downward in frustration that such a small thing could cause such a big problem for her and all her friends, but quickly calmed herself before she overreacted. Picking up a card that had come with the package, she read the words aloud.

"Ms. Green.

This is the flower of which I spoke. A very rare plant known as 'Gamma Joak.'"

"Gamma Joak…" Fluttershy repeated to herself softly, having become intimately aware of this plant's cousin, Poison Joak. Now that she looked at it, the two plants appeared incredibly similar. The only difference she saw was that Poison Joak was blue and this plant was a bioluminescent green. She read on.

"If together we use our brains and intuition, we might use it to find a cure for your condition. Please respond soon, sincerely Ms. Blue."

Fluttershy put the letter down, eyeing the plant. _Maybe I haven't lost quite everything…_ she thought to herself. After all, this mysterious Ms. Blue was looking out for her, and she always had hope…

Still, she was alone. She had never particularly enjoyed being around most ponies… but she had never been so utterly alone before. The thought, the lonely turn her life had taken; it all brought a tear to the yellow pegasus pony's eye.

She sat and cried for a short time before finally mustering up the strength to put on her uniform for work that day: a blue engineer's outfit that thankfully covered her flank, along with a hardhat to hide her mane. Even if they hadn't concealed her identity so well, she was still not very well known as a model in these parts. Still, better safe than sorry.

She trotted out the door, switching off the light as she left. Sniffing softly before putting on a tough face for work that day.

…

…And it was supposed to be her best night ever…

**TO BE CONTINUED**


	2. Chapter 2 : Another Failure

_The Incredible Flutterhulk_

A "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" fic by Beige Lantern

CHAPTER 2:

Fluttershy slowly trotted through the crowded streets of Buenos Maires on her way to her job. Buildings in the town were cramped closely together, even looking to be stacked on top of each other in places. A pony could easily jump from building to building or jump out of one window through another on the other side of the thin streets. Clotheslines hung between the dirty, rusty buildings, laundry flapping in the light morning breeze. The streets were filled with ponies of all sizes chatting, drinking, and smoking fat cigars. The air smelled of sweat and body odor as the yellow pegasus made her way down the dusty roads, smiling as a group of small colts ran past her playing a game of soccer, or "hoofball" as it was called here.

The sun was beating down on the town particularly hard that day. The heat would have been excruciating for most ponies, though the ponies of the area never seemed to mind much. Though Fluttershy wasn't particularly fond of the heat, she took comfort in the fact that the presence of the blazing sun meant she hadn't managed to hurt Princess Celestia too terribly badly. Reaching the end of a road, Fluttershy found herself at her destination: a construction site.

Since leaving Ponyville and finding herself on the run, Fluttershy had been forced to take up the odd job under assumed names to try and pay for all the equipment she was using to cure herself of the raging monster within her, as well as the basic necessities of food, water, and shelter. Often, however, she found herself forced to do jobs she wasn't particularly fond of. This was one of those times.

Flashing an ID card with her current assumed name, "Louise Ferrigno," to the stallion at the gate, Fluttershy sighed, stuffing earplugs into her sensitive ears and picking up a plank of wood on her back. Fluttershy was a member of the carpentry division at the site, responsible for helping put together all the wooden floorboards, doorways, and internal wooden structures. She wasn't particularly _bad _at it, but it didn't look like she would be getting the promotion to Carpentry Manager any time soon.

Grabbing a hammer and some heavy duty nails, she got together with her teammates as the group began setting some structural boards into place for the new town courthouse. Toiling away, the sun beating down on her face, Fluttershy let out another soft sigh. This was her life now: Hard labor and the constant threat of turning into a green monster if she ever got out of hand. On top of all that, her special ability to calm and care for any animal, her special talent, had apparently been lost upon that first transformation. Animals would never try and come up to her or show her any kindness anymore. It was as if they all knew about the monster inside and ran at the sight of her. As a result, she couldn't care for them or practice her talents as a veterinarian. In fact the one time she had tried to be a vet again, attempting to work at a large clinic in Manechester, she had accidentally caused another animal stampede which had eventually ended in another "hulking out" as it could be called.

Fluttershy shook her head, pushing the thoughts from her mind. She had the flower now. If she could manage the potential cure that Miss Blue had come up with using her already extensive knowledge of anatomy and medicine she could actually have a chance! She could mix together an antidote and rid herself of her curse! It was within her grasp!

And then, maybe, when all was said and done, she could go back. Maybe her friends could forgive her. Maybe Twilight could even convince the Princess to pardon her and call off Blueblood and his Flutterhulkbusters that had given her so much grief the past few months. She would be able to go home and see her animals again. See her friends Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Twilight, Angel, and Rarity.

Maybe… Just maybe… She could go home.

A smile graced her face. The simple fact that she had a chance… that she might get to go home for the first time in a year and a half… It was easily enough to make her happier than she had ever been in these past eighteen months. But her happiness didn't last long, as screaming suddenly snapped her out of her reverie.

Fluttershy's first instinct was to run and hide. Try to get out of town. After all, usually when ponies screamed in her vicinity they were screaming _at her_. It took a moment for Fluttershy to come back down to earth and remember that she hadn't gotten angry and transformed, nor was her heart rate much higher than normal… though the recent startle had brought it up a few points. Taking stock of her surroundings, Fluttershy noticed a stampede of panicked ponies running through the street, screaming in terror from something.

"¡Oso! ¡Oso!" One mare shouted, carrying a small foal on her back.

"Oso?" Fluttershy pondered for a second before she gasped, her eyes suddenly widening. "That means 'Ursa!'"

Sure enough, a bone-chilling roar rang out through the streets at that very moment, shattering windows and causing shingles to fly off of the roof of courthouse they had been constructing. Fluttershy zipped around the incomplete building to find herself staring into the face of an Adolescent Ursa. It was bigger than a Minor, but not old enough yet to be considered a Major yet. It was a different color from the one seen in Ponyville about two years ago; a brighter blue around the face that darkened to a forest green around the eyes specifically and throughout the rest of the body. It's color was of no real consequence at the moment though, as it rampaged down the street, fangs bared, claws raking at the homes and small businesses littering the road and threatening to trample or eat anypony that crossed its path.

Fluttershy's heart rate spiked for a second, but she quickly shook her head and breathed deeply, using some meditation techniques she had learned from a Shaolin master when she found herself in Shanghoof that one time. Taking a few deep breaths, she considered joining the rest of the ponies before quickly ditching that option. Ponies and animals alike were being hurt and nopony seemed to be doing anything! There was almost no police force in Buenos Maires on top of that. Somepony had to put her hoof down.

Fluttershy shook her head again. No. If her heart rate got too high… if she got too angry… She couldn't let that happen! Not when she was so close to her goal! She would just run. Run with the other ponies. Somepony else could take care of it!

"¡Madre! ¡Madre!" A little filly's cry rang out.

Fluttershy turned her head to see a small filly standing over her mother, who had been knocked out by a falling flowerpot from a windowsill in all the commotion. The little foal was shaking her mother desperately trying to wake her up. Meanwhile, the Ursa closed in upon them, it's drooling, stinking maw opening, ready for an early lunch.

No. Nopony was coming. Fluttershy had to do something.

Fluttershy began to gallop, her heart rate rising steadily as she swung in front of the filly and her mother, taking a defensive stance. Fluttershy had lost her ability to comfort animals, true enough, but one ability of hers remained intact. The Stare.

If anything, her stare had been intensified by her sudden ability to scare animals away. It had always been able to "look into a pony's soul" as described by her friends, and it had proven able to strike fear into the heart of an angry dragon and force a cockatrice to change its victims back from stone… something that had no precedent. But now, with its new, added strength, Fluttershy felt it should be able to stop this rampaging Ursa.

At least she hoped it would…

Fluttershy planted her hooves firmly on the ground, her heart rate still increasing and a twinge of anger piercing her voice. "You stop right there!" she shouted at the Ursa, her eyes flashing green.

Sure enough, the Ursa stopped in its tracks, though it still towered over Fluttershy and the other ponies. The Ursa roared in response.

"No!" Fluttershy shouted. "You may have big teeth and giant claws and be big enough to swallow a house, but that does not give you any right to rampage into a town and hurt innocent ponies!"

The Ursa began to sweat. Something was wrong with this pony in front of it. It seemed threatening somehow… Dangerous even. Like the small thing could explode at any moment and take out the giant beast.

"Now you march right back into the forest young man, or so help me I will find your mother and get her to spank you from here to the next country!" Fluttershy shouted, her hooves starting to show just the beginnings of a green tint.

Luckily the Ursa had had enough. The stare had taken effect upon the creature and it was bounding as fast as it could back into the dense rainforest surrounding Buenos Maires. Ponies had gathered around Fluttershy in awe as she stood up to the beast and were now cheering and stamping their hooves in applause for her. It was an experience that was certainly foreign for the small pony. Fluttershy quickly brought herself down from the stare, breathing deeply and using the techniques taught to her by her previous master. The green tint in her hooves and eyes quickly vanished as her heart rate descended and she finally took notice of all the ponies crowding around her, blushing to the chorus of "Gracias" and "Fabuloso's." She hadn't been shown such appreciation in so long it was actually kind of… nice. AS much as she didn't tend to like being around large crowds of ponies, this was certainly better than everypony running in fear of her whenever she trotted into town.

*FLASH*

Fluttershy blinked in horror. A camera had gone off in her face. That was never a good thing. Prince Blueblood and his army were very vigilant about watching for any sighting or mention of Fluttershy's name. Fluttershy gasped as a newspaper reporter quickly cantered up to her and shoved a tape recorder in her face congratulating her and begging for an interview.

"¡Eso era asombroso, señora! ¡Mi nombre es Cucharada del diario! ¿Usted me piensa podría conseguir una entrevista de usted?"

Fluttershy squeaked in apprehension. An article about her was the last thing she needed right now. "Oh… I … Um…" She muttered shaking her head. Quickly, she backed into the crowd of ponies away from the reporter and ducked down an alleyway, leaving the other ponies cheering behind her.

Fluttershy trotted down into another street, shaking off everything that had just happened, feeling even more nervous now than she had when the Ursa was pounding through the streets. If Blueblood and his cronies caught sight of her in the local paper everything she was working for could fall apart just as easily, perhaps more permanently than if she had changed again. If they confiscated the meager equipment she had put together and that rare plant, the Gamma Joak…

Fluttershy gulped before taking a few more deep breaths. "Okay… calm down, Fluttershy." She mumbled. "Most likely… nothing will come from it." She forced herself a smile. "Besides," she assured herself, "what are the odds that Blueblood will read the newspaper from around here, right?"

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_October 17, 13:45 hours. _

_Fort Clopbell,21 miles outside Trottingham _

Prince Astron Blueblood sat at a desk, his head in his hooves, a half empty hip flask full of whiskey sitting on his desk. A storm raged outside as he massaged his forehead with his hooves. Where was she? She had managed to drop off the radar for the past three months. It was beginning to get to him.

The handsome stallion grumbled to himself. The stress of running this whole unit was getting his mane disheveled and his pristine white coat all sweaty. His eyes shifted to a photograph sitting on his desk of a yellow pegasus with a pink mane. "I hope your happy." He mumbled "You're actually beating me. Slowly but surely you'll cause my mane to gray." He grabbed the flask, bringing its spouted end to his lips. "I'll get you, though. That I can assure. You'll pay dearly for what you did to me…"

A knock came at the door, snapping the Prince out of his monologue. "Come in." He mumbled.

The door opened slowly as a large, white alicorn stepped in, her pastel, rainbow mane flowing in the nonexistent breeze. She wore a gold bracer around her neck and a matching golden tiara and horseshoes. Striding into Bluebloods office, she eyed him with a look of distaste.

"…Princess" he mumbled.

"Blueblood." She said disapprovingly. "I understand that you recently raided one of Manehattan's Suburban areas in an attempt to intercept Miss Fluttershy." The deadpan voice and furrowed brow that filled her usually serene face would send a chill down anypony's spine.

"You understand correctly." Blueblood said, hoof rapping on his desk.

"And?" She said glaring at him "Did you catch her?"

"…No." He said, his eyes darting to the side.

"And why is that?"

"…She wasn't there." Blueblood mumbled.

"You mean to say she fled before you got there?" Celestia said with a raised eyebrow, a knowing tone in her voice.

"No. She was never there." The prince growled.

"Then you invaded Hoofington's suburbs, barging into a total of seven private homes and assaulting the occupants, all in a desperate search for Miss Fluttershy… why?" She said, her voice getting intense with anger.

"We had a hunch-"

"And that's not good enough, Astron Blueblood!" Celestia shouted. "Ever since the Gala you've been chasing after Miss Fluttershy like a crazed dog chases a cart! You've since managed to make a good portion of the population of Equestria question the military, the government, and by extension _**me**_, slowly breaking the peace that Equestria has managed to achieve in the last thousand years all so you can go on this wild goose chase of yours!"

"The Flutterhulk is a threat to the security of everypony in Equestria and the rest of the world!"

"Yes, Blueblood, I agree, and she needs to be brought in. But due to recent events I'm inclined to believe that you're perhaps even more of a threat than she is." Celestia roared. "Now you, Prince Blueblood, I have a mind to take away your position as head of this department, remove your title, and toss you out on the streets, bloodline be damned!"

Blueblood stared angrily into the face of his so called 'auntie' a snarl coming to his lip as she continued.

"If I hear even ONE more report that you've invaded a town without my consent, without any evidence, I swear to you, on the grave of my mother and on the rising of the sun itself, I will toss you out like the rat you really are."

"Prince Blueblood, sir!" a voice called from the doorway.

The two regal ponies halted their argument, turning to the pony that happened to interrupt their argument. The offender was a short but strong looking earth pony stallion, not quite middle aged with a blonde mane and a dark grey coat. He was wearing a military dress uniform, a couple of medals hanging off of his chest and holding a file in his mouth.

"Oh dear… m'lady, I am so sorry to interrupt." he said bowing quickly to Celestia.

"Rise, Captain…?"

"Emil Clopsky." He said, saluting her.

"Thank you Captain Clopsky." She said, her voice its usual serene croon again. "Did you have something to report to my nephew?"

"I… Oh yes!" The pony stammered, opening the file and revealing a newspaper clipping. "We managed to pull this article from today's Buenos Maires Sun. It reports about a small yellow pegasus with a pink mane who managed to literally stare down a rampaging, adolescent Ursa yesterday afternoon. Does that sound like anypony we know, sir?"

"Indeed it does" Blueblood said, a smug grin coming to his face. "Good work Captain! We deploy at 15:00 hou-"

"Not so fast, Blueblood." Celestia said firmly. "Admittedly I don't know many ponies capable of 'staring' an Ursa away, but until I have some definite proof, I'm not letting you deploy again. Not after all your mistakes."

Captain Clopsky cleared his throat. "If it pleases your highness, there's also a photograph." He said, holding up a front page photograph of a small, familiar looking pegasus with a long, pink mane. There was no question about who it was.

The Prince looked at Celestia, a snide look on his face. "Is that good enough for you, '_Auntie_?'"

Celestia looked down at him with narrowed eyes. "Very well." She sighed.

A look of smug pride on his face, Blueblood sauntered out of his office, flicking his tail. The captain soon followed him, bowing quickly to the Princess.

Celestia called out after him. "You're on thin ice, Blueblood! Watch yourself!"

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Fluttershy woke again in a cold sweat, roused from yet another nightmare. She had dreamed that in the confrontation with the Ursa the day before she had hulked out and leveled Buenos Maires and taken out everypony in town. Shaking herself and rubbing her eyes with her hooves she took a few deep breaths. _Just a dream_ she told herself. _That didn't happen. It's not going to happen._

She looked across her room at the green, glowing flower sitting innocently on her table, along with numerous test tubes, wires, syringes, centrifuges, a microscope, and other components needed to make the theorized cure that Miss Blue had described to her. Steeling her resolve, she slowly trudged out of bed and trotted over to the table, eyeing the flower.

"Today's the day…" she mumbled, putting on a set of gloves and goggles and getting about to work.

The procedure called for her to shred the flower's petals with scissors, letting the nectar and pollen within spill out into a petri dish. Miss blue had told her in an earlier correspondence to make sure she used a high dose, otherwise it might not work. As such, Fluttershy made sure to shred every petal of the flower. Using a mortar and pestal, she slowly crunched up the flower petals into a fine, green paste.

Then, gathering some specific ingredients from her cupboard, she slowly brewed up a small batch of a cure for Poison Joak. Miss Blue had said that since the plants were closely related, the cure for Poison Joak with a Gamma substitute would very likely rid her of the Gamma Joak's effects.

Pouring the Gamma Joak paste into a test tube filled with the Poison Joak cure, she placed the tube into a centrifuge and blended it together, then set about filtering out the impurities. Fluttershy went about the lab with skill and finesse, knowing all the steps to making a cure such as this, having done it many times in the past for her animal friends when she was a vet.

After several hours of labor, she had created a small vial of a clear, light green liquid. If Miss Blue was right… this would save her.

But first she had to be sure that it would work.

Taking a syringe, Fluttershy winced as she slowly stuck the needle into her forehoof, drawing a small amount of blood from her arm. Her gamma infected blood would be able to tell her if it would work or not. Carefully, she placed a small drop of her own blood down onto a microscope slide and shoved it under the scope. Adjusting the focus, she saw her blood was beset by small green clumps hanging to the side of her red blood cells. This was what turned her into the Flutterhulk when she got mad and her pulse rate got too high.

Taking care not to spill the cure, she slowly took a drop of it into another syringe and dripped it onto the blood resting on the slide. Taking another look into the scope, she gasped with delight as she saw the green clumps on her blood cells slowly shrink and dissipate.

Fluttershy grinned. Smiling, she let out a small "yay."

But before she could celebrate, the tides of luck turned on her. The red blood cells which had appeared cured, suddenly sprouted more of the green, gamma-irradiated clumps, swelling and becoming engorged, turning entirely green. Fluttershy looked at the pool of blood on the slide to see it a bubbling, forest green… the same way it was when she was the Flutterhulk.

Fluttershy sighed in defeat. After all that hope, all this cure would be is a surefire way to turn her into the Flutterhulk. Something she would never need.

Scooping up the syringe of the "not-cure" as well as the rest of her equipment, Fluttershy slowly trotted out her apartment door. During her attempts to make the medicine she had wasted the whole day. It was already night out, Luna's moon shining brightly overhead. She trotted somberly down the dirt roads, a sad song in her heart. She trotted down the road to a small shop that was open 24-7. The shop was a new breed of restaurant known as an "internet café." They were a recent invention. Ever since the invention of some worldwide magical network of communication they had become quite popular. Ponies would come to these cafes and use what were essentially magic mirrors with typewriters attached to them to communicate with ponies far across the world. Fluttershy had scoffed at the idea of such things before she had run into her… problems, but now they were a godsend, as she could communicate in real time with her mysterious benefactor using them.

Of course, due to the private nature of her issues, she could only use them when almost nopony else was around. She had found this particular café helpful since it was open all day and all night and she could pop in at midnight to chat with Miss Blue and nopony would be there to bother her.

The bell gave out a small ring as she pushed open the door. "Louise Ferrigno!" A warm greeting came from behind the counter. Fluttershy turned to see a friendly old stallion sitting behind the counter. He was a red earthy color with a white mane and moustache and wore a large pair of glasses on his face.

"Hi Stan…" Fluttershy said, still feeling down but happy to see a friendly face. Stan was one of the only other ponies in Buenos Maires Fluttershy had met that spoke fluent Equestrian. The two had become relatively good friends in this small café, him being the only pony on night shift and her being one of the only customers to ever come in so late.

"What brings you to the café tonight, Lou?" Stan barked happily.

"Oh, um… I need to use the internet… if you don't mind…"

Stan chuckled. "Of course not! Would you like me to put on your usual while you're here? Chamomile with a sugar?"

"That would be lovely." Fluttershy said with a small smirk.

"Alrighty then! Coming right up, true believer!" Stan said, putting a kettle on a stove. Fluttershy grinned. Stan said such funny things sometimes.

Fluttershy quickly logged on to the internet and started tapping away at the keys, logging into a private chatroom where she and Miss Blue talked occasionally. Sipping her expertly made chamomile tea, she called out over the magical connection for her friend.

(Miss Green) _Miss Blue, are you there?_

Fluttershy waited a couple minutes before getting a response.

(Miss Blue) _My friend! It's good to hear from you again!_

Fluttershy sighed as her friend enthusiastically questioned her about her cure attempt.

(Miss Blue) _As for the Antidote; Did it work as you had hoped?_

Fluttershy sighed shaking her head.

(Miss Green) _Another Failure…_

There was a slight pause before Miss Blue replied.

(Miss Blue) _:( I see… Then it's time for the two of us to meet._

Fluttershy pondered over this for a minute before sighing.

(Miss Green) _It's not safe_

(Miss Blue) _Living with gamma in your blood is not safe. Now do not amble. Stop chasing flowers and send me a blood sample._

Fluttershy paused for a minute, considering this logic. Before sighing and typing back.

(Miss Green) _Alright_

With that, Fluttershy signed off of the internet and finished up the rest of her tea. Smiling at Stan, she trotted out the door. "Thanks for the tea, Stan!" she said.

"No problem!" He replied. "And you keep your chin up, you hear? Excelsior!"

Fluttershy giggled and trotted back up the street towards her apartment. Reaching the small flat, she quickly drew another sample of blood and put it into a test tube, fastening it securely. Carefully she slid it into a foam casing and placed the foam into a secure package. She quickly scrawled an address upon the top of the box; "PO Box 616, 1961 Ditzy Avenue, Ponyville Equestria, 68954"

Trotting a short ways out of her apartment again, she dropped the package carefully into a blue post box, looking around carefully before trotting back inside, hoping to Celestia that she and Miss Blue, whoever she was, could figure this out.

What she didn't notice was the pony watching her from up in the clouds. A shady looking pegasus wearing all black and holding a walkie talkie. Looking down at her from a dark stratus cloud through a pair of binoculars, he lifted the communicator to his lips.

"This is scout one. I have a visual."

"_Roger scout one. We will be at your position in less than an hour…"_

**TO BE CONTINUED…**


End file.
